Shuttle catcher box for weft-replenishing looms



S.- S. JACKSON. SHUTTLE CATCHER BOX FOR WEF'T REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLICATlON FILED JAN. 5, 1921.

Pamm/efl 0013 SL, 1922;

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

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S .S.]ACKSON. SHUTTLE CATCHER BOX FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 192].

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Patented @ct. Kill,

ll jili'lag e e we we f ii) i t? El in o SIIVIEON S. JACKSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE STAFFORD COMPANY,

RATION OE MASSACHUSETTS.

SHUTTLE CATCHEB BOX FOR Application filed January 5, 1921.

To all 'HJ/L-O'IN/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMEON S. Jncnson, a subject of Great Britain, residing at Hyde Park, Boston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shuttle Catcher Boxes for TVeft-Replenishing Looms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has relation to weft-replenishing looms, and in particular to those looms of this class in which the replenishment of the weft is efli ected by the replacement of the shuttle previously at work upon the lay by a fresh one. The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved form of catcher-box for receiving the shuttles as they are ejected or expelled from the shuttle-box, contrived to protect a shuttle or shuttles occupying the same from injury by the sharp steel tips of succeeding shuttles falling into the box, as well as contrived to increase the holding capacity of the box and to cause the shuttles to arrange themselves compactly and in convenient position within the box.

My invention consists in an ejected shuttle catcher-box having a downwardly and forwardly sloping bottom, and a shuttle-alining bafile-plate within the said catcher-box extending transversely thereof in position to receive the impact of the descending ejected shuttle, with a clearance space between the lower edge of said baffle-plate and the said sloping bottom through which the shuttle falling from the said plate slides forward within the catcher-box. The said baffleplate checks the descent of a. shuttle from the lay into the catcher-box and alines the shuttle transversely of the catcher-box into a position parallel with the plate and with any other shuttle or shuttles which may already occupy the front portion of the box, so that as the shuttle slides forward after dropping to the sloping bottom and passing beneath the lower edge of the baffie-plate it comes to rest still parallel with the plate and resting flatwise against or upon the other shuttle or shuttles. The invention consists, further, in a catcher-box constructed with the features just mentioned, and having further a pocket by which the holding ca- OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPO- iVEFT-REPLENISHING LOOMS.

Serial No. 435,101.

pacity of the catcher-box is increased and other advantages are secured.

In the drawings,

B 1g. 1 18 a side elevatlon of certain parts of a shuttle-changing weft-replenishing loom at the side of the latter at which the shuttle-changing operation takes place, showmg in vertical section a catcher-box embodying the invention in position upon the loomframe.

Fig. 2 is a front view, and Fig. 3 a plan view, of the catcher-box, detached.

Having reference to the drawings,-

F 1 illustrates sufficient of the parts of a slnittle-cha-nging weft-replenishing loom for a clear grasp of the nature and relations of my invention, the parts shown being certain of those at the shuttle-changing end of the well-known Stafford loom. In this loom, upon detection of breakage or failure of the weft or filling, or of substantial depletion of the supply contained within the shuttle 1, as the case may be in practice. and follon-ing the return of said shuttle 1 to the sln1ttlebox at the end of the lay-beam at which the shuttle-changing mechanism is located, and stoppage of the weaving action, rotation of the change-shaft 2 causes cam 3 to depress arm l and through link 5 actuates the rocker 7 carried by lay-beam L, thereby lifting the front-plate 6 of the shuttle-box so as to open the shuttle-box for the ejection of the said shuttle. As the said front-plate 6 rises the ejector 8 is actuated to move its shuttle-engaging fingers 8 forwardly into the shuttle-box so as to eject the shuttle forwardly and cause it to drop upon the flexible apron L extending down from the lay-beam over the front of an apron-guiding rod L" supported upon the rear portion of the catcher-box. From the apron the descending shuttle slides into the catcher-box. In the continued rotation of the ch ange-shaft 2 the cam 10 mounted thereon permits the transferrer 11 to swing rearwardly under the influence of its actuating spring 12 so as to transfer a fresh shuttle from the magazine 13 to the shuttle-box, whereupon the front plate 6 is lowered into position in front of the fresh shuttle, the ejector resuming its normal retracted position, cam 10 returns the transferrer to a forward position, and the cam 14: on the change-shaft engages with the shipping mechanism (not shown) to throw over the sl'iipper-handle and restart the loom. The drawings show at C the usual latch for locking the transferrer in a forward position through engagement with a projection C on the transferrer arm This latch is carried by a rockshaft 25 mounted at the top of the catcher-box and also carrying the latch-plate 24- against which the expelled shuttle strikes in its descent so as to disengage the latch from the projection C in order to permit the transferrer to be moved rearwardly by the spring 12. A stop 27 carried by the rockshaft acts through contact with one of the roclrshaft supporting arms 26 to limit the extent of the turning movement of the latch-plate and latch when struck by the descending shuttle. A weight 25, Figs. 2 and 3, in connection with the rockshaft 25 acts with a tendency to elevate the latch into engaging position and keep the latch-plate in its position shown in Fig. 1.

My improved catchenbox for receiving and collecting the spent shuttles as they are expelled from the'lay has a bottom which serves-to make the fallen shuttles slide forward in the box to a position away from the landing point of subsequent falling shuttles, and also to collect the shuttles in the for ward part of the box where they are most accessible for-removal. To prevent the shuttle expelled from the lay from landing with force upon or against a shuttle or shuttles already occupying the catcher-box, and also from sliding forward down the sloping bottom 15 point foremost, with in either case possibility of damage to the shuttle or shuttles already in the front part of the box, I employ. a baffle-plate 16 mounted upon the endanembers 17, 17, of the box, extending transversely of said box, and sloping downwardly and rearwardly in such manner as to form with the side-members 17, 17, and the r back 18 of the box a sort of hopper for the reception of the falling shuttle. The lower edge of this baffle-plate 16 is spaced away from the back 18 and the bottom 15 of the box. By this construction, the falling shuttle brings up against the baffle-plate and its momentum is checked thereby, and it then is compelled to make almost a right-angled turn in its course, within. a passage through which it can pass only when its axis is horizonta-l'and at right angles to its direction of travel. Practically all the energy of its fall having been expended upon the bathe-plate 16, the back 18, and the bottom 15 of the box, the shuttle then slides slowly down the slope, broadside on and parallel with any other shuttle or shuttles occupying the front of the box, and incapable of harming the latter when it arrivesvin contact therewith.

Preferably, at the foot of the sloping bottom 15 I provide a pocket 19 formed by the front wall'20, the side-members 1'7, 17, a vertical member 21, and a bottom member 22. This pocket is constructed of suflicient dimensions to contain any desired number of shuttles. It serves to receive the first shuttles falling into the box; subsequent shuttles received within the box slide down the slope of the bottom 15 and out upon the top surfaces of those within the pocket, while those following, if desired, may be allowed to collect upon the sloping bottom 15 as far as the baflle plate 16. All lie adjacent each other, parallel to each other and the front wall'QO of the-box. By means of this pocket 19 I increase the holding capacity of my catcher-box.

For convenience in inserting the hand to remove the shuttles from the catcher-box, the front wall is cut away at 23, Fig. 2.

hat is claimed as the invention is 1. In a shuttle-changing weft-replenishing loom, a catcher-box for expelled shuttles having a downwardly and forwardly sloping bottom, and a shuttle-alining baffle-plate within. the said catcher-box extending transversely thereof, intersecting the path of the descending ejected shuttle, and in position to receive the impact of the said shuttle and arrest the latter with a clearance space between the lower edge of said baffle-plate and the said sloping bottomthrough which the shuttle falling from the baffle-plate slides forward within the catcher-box.

2. In a shuttle changing weft-replenishing loom, a catcher-box for exhausted shuttles mounted upon a support independent of the lay, having a downwardly and forwardly sloping bottom, and a relatively-depressed pocket in the forward part thereof into which the shuttles first received in the box drop and lie side by side while subsequent shuttles move forward to rest on the top surfaces of the first;

Z In a shuttle-changing weft-replenishing loom, a catcher-box for exhausted shuttles having a downwardly and forwardly sloping bottom, a shuttle-alining baffle-plate within said catcher-box extending transversely thereof with a clearance space between the lower edge of said baffle-plate and the said sloping bottom, through which the shuttle is caused to pass in a horizontal position and with its axis at right angles to its direction of travel, and a pocket in the forward part thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SIMEON S. JACKSON. lVitnesses:

CHAS. F. RANDALL, i ELLEN 0. SPRING 

